Aldergeddon Campaign Finance Info

Old black and white photo of St. Louis City Hall

The New Ward Profiles include up-to-date campaign finance information for most St. Louis City Alder candidates and ward organizations/political action committees.

Most instead of all because the reports are constantly changing with amended reports and late contribution or late expenditure filings with Missouri Ethics Commission. It’s very hard to keep up with.

There really ought to be a law against raising and spending money the last week of election. Get it done before then. Make that public at least five days before elections. Make it apply to candidates, political action committees, political parties.

Heartbreaking for me, personally, all the candidates taking money from the captains of industry and recipients of corporate welfare known as Civic Progress and Great White Fathers via 21st Century St. Louis PAC. Each accepted $2,600.

New 2nd Ward: 16th Ward Tom Oldenburg

New 3rd Ward: 25th Ward Alder Shane Cohn

New 5th Ward: 10th Ward Alder Joe Vollmer

New 6th Ward: Daniela Velazquez

New 8th Ward: 20th Ward Alder Cara Spencer

New 9th Ward: 28th Ward Alder Michael Gras and Michael Browning

New 11th Ward: 21st Ward Alder Laura Keys

New 13th Ward: 27th Ward Alder Pam Boyd

New 14th Ward: 5th Ward Alder James Page and State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge

Also: Mayor Tishaura Jones, Comptroller Darlene Green, Board President Megan Green

Predictions: Aldergeddon Primary

These are predictions for March 7th St. Louis City Alder Primary Election, not who I wish or would like to see headed to April 4th General Election.* I would be happy to see some of these predictions proven wrong.

In this election, voters may vote for as many candidates as they want and the top two candidates will advance to the General Election.

Board President Megan Green drew no opponent for this election and that hurts some candidates, I think. That, along with potential weather problems, could drive turnout very low. The result could be the candidates who drag the most family and friends to the polls, the extra super loyal who would walk thru fire or a snow storm for them, providing the win by a few dozen votes. That has heavily influenced some of my predictions.

1st Ward: Alder Anne Schweitzer and deputy sheriff Tony Kirchner. I say Kirchner, instead of Republican Matthew Kotraba, because Kirchner is endorsed by SLPOA.

2nd Ward: Alder Tom Oldenburg and Republican former cop Phill Menendez because St. Louis Hills is Republican and has a cop fetish. I do appreciate Katie Bellis running and giving voters a choice.

3rd Ward: Alder Shane Cohn. No one else is running. Predicting Cohn also wins General Election.

4th Ward: Alder Bret Narayan and Alder Joe Vacarro. Photographer Casey Otto does not have a campaign account filed with MEC.

5th Ward: Alder Joe Vollmer and salon owner Helen Petty are the only candidates on ballot.

6th Ward: FleishmanHillard VP Daniela Velázquez and former Alder, former Recorder of Deeds Jennifer Florida are the only candidates on ballot.

7th Ward: School Board Member Alisha Sonnier and St. Louis Priory School Equity Director Jon-Pierre Mitchom. Former Board President Lewis Reed is not much help to Cedric Redmon these days.

8th Ward: Alder Cara Spencer and former Alder Ken Ortmann. If business analyst and hip hop artist Shedrick Kelley were running against Alder Jack Coatar again, my prediction would be different. I think the addition of the rest of conservative and wealthier Lafayette Square via redistricting to the new ward and “vote for as many as you want” reform hurts Kelley this time.

9th Ward: Alder Michael Gras and grant specialist Michael Browning. Alder Tina Pihl has been pretty much abandoned by the so-called progressives who helped elect her.

10th Ward: Alder Shameem Clark-Hubbard and realtor Emmett Coleman are the only candidates on the ballot.

11th Ward: Alder Laura Keys and former US Senate candidate Carla Wright are the only candidates on ballot.

12th Ward: Alder Sharon Tyus and beauty supply business owner Tashara Earl. Tyus is a household name and Earl is backed by State Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins. 1st Ward Committeewoman Yolanda Brown lives in same neighborhood as Tyus, but I don’t picture any strategic voting in that neighborhood to vote for both in Primary.

13th Ward: I have no idea and I am not pulling a prediction out of my ass to make this blog post tidy.

14th Ward: Alder Brandon Bosley and Alder James Page. Bosley has the Bosley Family base and Alder Page has his Downtown base. Ebony Washington has her Hubbard Family base but only makes it to General Election if there is more Absentee voting shenanigans. State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge is putting a lot of money in digital.

All New Ward Profiles here. Updating for recent MEC reporting will start Monday..

*Disclosure: I gave $100 to 7th Ward candidate Alisha Sonnier and $100 to Mayor Tishaura Jones this month. Those are the only MEC reported donations that I’ve made recently.

New Ward Profiles Updated

40 Days Before Election campaign finance report information and other committee changes have been added to the New Ward Profiles.

Mostly, these are updates to candidate for Alder and changes to ward committees.

Next up are 8 Days Before Election Reports: Due February 27th. Required only if committee 1) had expenses (paid or incurred) or 2) donated to another committee. The closing date for this report is February 23rd.

The New Ward Profiles WILL NOT be updated with:

48 Hour Report of Contribution over $5,000: Due within 48 Hours after receipt.
24 Hour Notice of Late Contribution Over $250 Received Less Than 12 Days Before Election: Due within 24 Hours after receipt.
24 Hour Late Expenditure Report by Continuing Committees (PACs including ward committees): Due within 24 Hours after paid or incurred.

Contributions and expenditures reported in these filings are included in the next report filed by the committee. There are too many candidates in this election cycle for one person (me) to keep up with these kinds of filings.

Where’s Bosley’s Money?

UPDATED

Found the money. Alder Brandon Bosley’s campaign is using a political action committee not yet filed with Missouri Ethics Commission.

Literature and yard signs promoting his candidacy have been printed and are in use with a “Paid for by the 14th Ward Democratic Organization.”

But the only 14th Ward organization active in MEC database is the one serving pre-ward reduction 14th Ward in Bevo, Princeton Heights, and Southampton neighborhoods.

Money has been spent or debt created on Bosley’s behalf without reporting it to MEC in a timely fashion. The Treasurer is Linda Primer, who is also the Deputy Treasurer for Citizens for Brandon Bosley. There is no arms length between the two entities. Definitely collaboration between the two.

Lots more details below.

Original Post

New 14th Ward Profile is updated with 40 Days Before Alder Election reports.

3rd Ward Alder Brandon Bosley did not make a January Report or a 40 Days Out Report. His October 2022 Report was Limited Activity. His last report with any activity was April 2021 when he had $100 on hand. It’s not the sign of someone running a legit campaign.

January Reports were optional and 40 Days Out Reports were due only if committee 1) accepted contributions (money or in-kind) or 2) had expenses (paid or incurred).

The Bosley Family political action committee- 3rd Ward Regular Democratic Organization- hasn’t reported activity since April 2021 when it had $20.21 on hand.

Alder Bosley’s mother and Treasurer- 3rd Ward Committeewoman Lucinda Frazier- registered a new 14th Ward Democratic Organization as a nonprofit with Missouri Secretary of State, but not MEC. Very curious.

Alder Bosley’s Deputy Treasurer- Linda Primer- is also Treasurer for 3rd Ward Regular Democratic Organization and Civil PAC, as well as Deputy Treasurer for Bosley’s sister- State Rep. LaKeySha Bosley

Civil PAC hasn’t reported any activity since July 2022. It paid the 3rd Ward organization $2,500 for a lit drop in 2020. State Rep. Bosley last reported activity in December 2022, including $800 to political consultant Tim Person.

Some of Person’s previous clients include Jack Coatar’s disastrous run for Board President, former Mayor Lyda Krewson, former Board President Lewis Reed, former County Executive candidate Mark Montovani, former State Rep. Wiley Price, Heartland Action PAC, and Civil PAC.

Tim Person isn’t just a political consultant. He is Human Resources Director for St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler. Person replaced a Recorder employee of many years who was fired by Butler without cause the day he was sworn into office. She and other employees, also fired for not working for his election, sued and taxpayers paid out a six figure settlement.

We’re also talking about the same Michael Butler who chairs the Missouri Democratic Party (also sued by former employee and Party donors had to pay a settlement) and hired Person to do fundraising. Same Michael Butler who owns an all you can drink for one price bar, same bar State Rep. Bosley has worked at or still does. Same bar she held a re-election fundraiser at last year.

Butler also serves on the Board for Communities First, a nonprofit founded by Lucinda Frazier (Alder Bosley’s mother), who is also Butler’s Chief of Staff. The nonprofit’s address is used by State Rep. Bosley on her campaign finance reports and her last candidate filing at Secretary of State. It’s also been used as a default address for 3rd Ward/Bosley Family related campaign workers.

It’s a good guess that Person will be trying to help elect Alder Bosley to the new 14th Ward seat, if Bosley is actively running. It’s also a good guess that money to help that effort might come via Civil PAC.

More intrigue- State Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, one of four candidates for the 14th Ward seat, is a former employee of Michael Butler’s Recorder of Deeds office and he donated $2,600 last year to Communities First.

St. Louis, biggest small town in America.

New Ward Profiles Updated

New Ward Profiles have been updated for any candidate for Alder, elected officials and former elected officials (state legislature, City citywide and Alders, citywide County officers, School Board), ward organizations, party committeepeople, who filed January Reports with Missouri Ethics Commission. January Reports were optional.

The next filing are Or 40 Days Before Election Reports, due January 26th. They are required only if committee 1) accepted contributions (money or in-kind), 2) had expenses (paid or incurred), or 3) donated to another committee. The closing date for this report is January 21st.

Ward Profiles & Future Alder Money Updates

The New Ward Profiles have been updated with last day candidate filings for Alders.

Next week, they will be updated for new committee activity at Missouri Ethics Commission and some other tidying up.

New Ward Profiles WILL be updated for candidate campaign report information after one or more of the following:

January Quarterly Report: Due January 17th. Optional for all committees. The closing date for this report was December 31st. Any money raised after that date will not be reported in January Quarterly. Again, it’s each committee’s decision on whether to make a January Report
And/Or 40 Days Before Election Report: Due January 26th. Required only if committee 1) accepted contributions (money or in-kind), 2) had expenses (paid or incurred), or 3) donated to another committee. The closing date for this report is January 21st.
And/Or 8 Days Before Election Report: Due February 27th. Required only if committee 1) had expenses (paid or incurred) or 2) donated to another committee. The closing date for this report is February 23rd.
And/Or 30 Day After Election Report: Due March 6th. The closing date is March 1st. Required only if the committee had expenses (paid or incurred) or made contributions to other committees. The closing date for this report is March 1st.

The New Ward Profiles WILL NOT be updated with:

48 Hour Report of Contribution over $5,000: Due within 48 Hours after receipt.
24 Hour Notice of Late Contribution Over $250 Received Less Than 12 Days Before Election: Due within 24 Hours after receipt.
24 Hour Late Expenditure Report by Continuing Committees (PACs including ward committees): Due within 24 Hours after paid or incurred.

These contributions and expenditures reported in these filings are included in the next report filed by the committee. There are too many candidates in this election cycle for one person (me) to keep up with these kinds of filings.

Also

The smaller the political subdivision, the more likely a candidate will file late reports (and pay fines for it) or incorrect reports that are later amended. Committees also play the didn’t get a bill until after the election game where expenses are reported after the election.